The 2 Home Projects People Will Be “Undoing” This Summer

Summer is the season to add water to your swimming pool, buy that firepit you’ve been eyeing, and give your exterior a fresh coat of paint. But it’s also the time to say goodbye to things around your house that just aren’t serving you anymore. Thumbtack, the online directory that allows users to discover and hire local home-care professionals, is calling it “the great undoing.” 

According to the company’s new spring-summer trends report, many homeowners are focused on ridding their spaces of regretful design decisions, with wallpaper removal up +77% year-over-year and carpet removal up +57%. These projects both cracked Thumbtack’s top 10 list, following tasks like AC repair, plumbing inspection, and pesticide application. Other trending “undoings” not mentioned in the breakdown below include junk removal and tree trimming and removal.

The Top 10 Renovations of Spring-Summer ’24

1. Window, wall, or portable AC repair or maintenance 
2. Plumbing inspection  
3. Duct and vent repair 
4. Outdoor pesticide application 
5. Wallpaper removal 
6. Home waterproofing  
7. Sump pump installation or repair  
8. Smart home installation or repair 
9. Carpet removal  
10. Swimming pool inspection

We’re guessing allergy season got many people thinking about how their dated carpeting has become a cozy home for dust, and that with the announcement of some chic new wallpaper collections, they’ve started to rethink the chintz they chose five years ago. 

Just because these two projects are technically easier than, say, ripping out a concrete driveway, that doesn’t mean they’re free. Hiring a pro to scrape away old wallpaper costs $300 to $600 on average, but a DIY is certainly on the table. When design blogger Maggie Nelson and her husband, Ben, did it, they avoided harsh chemicals and instead peeled back the thick layers of paint and wallpaper in their house with a natural blend of equal parts hot water and white vinegar. They put the solution into spray bottles, applied it to small sections, let it soak for five to 10 minutes, and then chipped away using a scraper with a sharp blade. 

By Thumbtack’s calculations, ripping up old carpeting will run you $200. Although as homeowner Sade Strehlke learned, the cost of tearing out old carpeting can quickly soar above $3,000 when it involves renting multiple dumpsters, demolishing cabinets or millwork around it, and paying a small crew to tackle and oversee the labor. 

Once you’ve established a clean slate, you can focus on all the fun decisions—Installing white oak floors! Drenching your walls in paint!—come fall.